Tag Archives: Analysis

Analysis, GHSA Basketball

Bob Gibbons – Saturday 17U Eye Openers

Contributed by Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14)

Riley Wolgamott (Pro One Select White)– Wolgamott showed a lot of different parts to his game in a tight afternoon win. A very quick, deceptive PG, Wolgamott sliced through the defense relentlessly throughout the game and made crafty passes to his teammates often. He also used his quickness and ball-handling ability to attack the rim himself, while also showing he could shoot from the outside, finishing with 16 points for the Alabama-based program in a win over Game Elite Blue.

Evan Spiller (CBA United)- Spiller is a solid wing out of Florida who stayed within himself and never overdid things. He used his length and athleticism to his advantage, penetrating inside quite often where he displayed a nice in between game and soft touch around the basket. It was clear that Spiller has a high IQ, making the simple, correct play time and time again. The smooth lefty was a vital part in CBA’s comeback win over Palmetto Elite, ending the game with 18 points.

CJ Sabb (Palmetto Elite)- Sabb is an unsigned CG from South Carolina and definitely played like it today. Sabb looked like a veteran in the first half against CBA United and led his team with 12 first-half points coming in a variety of ways. As things got going for CBA in the second half, Sabb tried to get others involved and keep his teammates composed. Although Palmetto suffered a 2-point loss, it was an impressive performance overall for Sabb, who finished with 17 points.

Raphael Rogers, Christian McLean (Inspire Atlanta)- This wing duo accounted for nearly half of Inspire’s points (14 each) in their afternoon battle against Sports Academy South. McLean (Wesleyan) showed furious aggression in transition, almost too much for his own good at times, but this attribute is what makes him go. After getting to the basket a few times for scores, McLean had some nice dumps to teammates for easy buckets. If he continues to develop as a distributor as well, McLean will be a scary prospect. Rogers (Douglas County) has a nice, strong body for a perimeter player and displayed some good versatility to his game. He knew when to use his strength to get inside but also knocked down open outside shots and was quite unselfish in sharing the ball when he could have looked for his own scoring opportunities. It will be interesting to see how these two improve before the July live period.

Isaiah Bauman (Sports Aacademy South)- Bauman is a speedy guard out of Augusta and showed a full offensive arsenal in an OT win over Inspire Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Whether it was a deep-ball, a mid-range pull-up, or a drive to the basket, it seemed that Bauman always had something up his sleeve for Academy. Whenever Inspire looked like they were gaining momentum, Bauman responded with a big play for Academy. Bauman controlled the game, played with solid change of pace, and finished with an impressive 18 points in the win.

Chris Barnette (NC Runnin’ Rebels)- Barnette, a guard from North Carolina, may have been my favorite player from the whole day. Barnette played with an endless motor and was bouncing around the court each and every play. He hounded the opposing team’s primary ball-handler every possession, got in passing lanes off the ball, and even snuck in for a few offensive rebounds. This goes without mentioning his superior shooting and passing ability; Barnette had 14 points on (3) 3’s, a plethora of assists in transition off his steals, and made sure there was crisp ball movement in the half-court. Barnette may not be the biggest player but his tremendous energy and activity really make up for it.

Analysis, GHSA Basketball

Bob Gibbons – Saturday 16U Eye Openers

Contributed by Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14)

Bryson Childress, Levontae Knox (PSB Select)- Starting off with an early morning game in an off-site auxiliary gym didn’t seem to have any effect on the play of this PSB duo. Childress, a PG, and Knox, a wing, have nice chemistry together and had things rolling early against Vanguard Elite. Childress hit a few outside shots early and then began to facilitate to Knox and other teammates, a role in which he excelled. Knox was at his best attacking the rim in transition with the help of pesky defense by Childress, but also had some nice moments in half-court offense putting the ball on the floor to get inside and taking a few perimeter shots. Childress (9 points) and Knox (13 points) were two of the main pieces in securing the win for the NC program.

Jaxon Etter (North Atlanta Orangemen)– After a strong performance in the morning against Game Elite, Etter (Etowah) followed up with another effective outing against BCB on Saturday night. Etter has impressive size and physicality for a guard/wing at the 16U level, bullying his way to the basket where he both finished through contact and drew fouls. Etter also showed the ability to grab rebounds and push down the court into pull-up jumpers. His attack mentality led to 17 points on the night.

Ashton Young (BCB Black)- Going against Etter for BCB was Young, and he was an absolute beast. Young (Buford) scored solid 6 points in the first half, but took it to another level in the second half. The athletic, active wing was grabbing offensive rebounds, slashing from the perimeter, and ran hard in transition throughout the game. The Orangemen could not keep him away from the basket or free throw line and Young eventually finished with 27 points for BCB. His effort helped lead them to a close 58-56 win.

Drew Pember (EOTO TN)- In a bracket play matchup against Stackhouse Elite, Pember and his EOTO looked to continue to prove themselves on the big stage. The EOTO team encountered a lot of foul trouble and struggled to score in the first half, facing a 30-21 deficit at halftime. After a scoreless first half, Pember turned things around in the second half. Pember, a long, lean forward, proved that he can step out and shoot from the perimeter but also showed impressive mobility and athleticism. Pember scored 9 points in the second half and although the EOTO comeback just barely fell short, he and his team look like they should be followed closely in the future.

Analysis, GHSA Basketball

Bob Gibbons Day 1 Recap

Contributed by Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14)

16U: Wellington Wolves 59, Vanguard Elite 50
This Georgia vs Florida battle began with runs by both teams; a 7-0 run by Vanguard and then a 11-0 run by Wellington within the first 6 minutes of the game. The teams continued with fast-paced action throughout the first half, with the Wolves having a solid lead at halftime. Wellington capitalized inside from offensive rebounds and also received a big boost outside with multiple 3’s from Aramis MacKrey in the first half.

Vanguard struggled to hit open shots and was plagued by turnovers but stayed in the game with production from Myles Todd (Pace) and Terrell Burden (McEachern). Wellington extended their lead to double digits early in the second half with the help of MacKrey, Josh Williams and Alphonse Alfred. They looked to have control of the game when Vanguard stormed back with pesky defense, with Donaven Hairston (Milton) coming alive and Todd continuing to play well. However, Wellington was able to settle down and close out the game with free throws after a few missed opportunities by Vanguard.

Wellington was led by Aramis MacKrey, who had 15 points on (5) 3’s, and Josh Williams, who had 10 points. Vanguard received 16 points from Myles Todd and 11 points from Terrell Burden.

16U: Southern Stampede 72, TNBC 51
In a matchup of two teams who like to get up and down the court, the Stampede and TNBC went back and forth for much of the first half with neither team finding a way to secure a comfortable lead. Davis Herndon (Riverwood) started the game hot for TNBC with 8 points on (2) 3’s but was matched by Jalen Durham (Berkmar) of Stampede who was also connecting from the outside.

Trae Broadnax (Islands) also had a strong first half for the Stampede but Steven Seramur (St. Pius) and TJ Malloy (Westminster) responded with (2) 3’s each. The difference in the first half was the play of Jalyn McCreary (Kennesaw Mountain) late. McCreary was almost nonexistent for most of the first half but went on a tear where he scored 10 points and grabbed a multitude of rebounds in a span of 4 minutes, resulting in a 37-25 halftime lead for his Stampede team.

The beginning of the second half was similar to the start of the first half, with the Stampede extending their lead a bit to 15 with solid play from Donell Nixon (Buford). TNBC then went a run of their own where Jordan Krueger (Walton) began to heat up and Herndon continued to attack, cutting the deficit to 6. After a timeout, the Stampede came out locked in offensively and picked up their defensive intensity, causing havoc left and right. Broadnax and Nixon led this charge with versatile scoring and Brandon Green also gave great energy in transition for the Stampede team. TNBC was left flustered and was not able to recover, eventually falling behind by 20. The Stampede had 4 double-digit scorers in Trae Broadnax (18), Jalyn McCreary (12), Donell Nixon (11), and Jalen Durham (11). TNBC received 16 points from Davis Herndon and 10 points from Jordan Krueger.

17U: Atlanta Allstars 58, Game Elite Orange 46
This late-night matchup began very slowly for both teams, with neither squad finding offensive production from anyone. Game Elite found their groove about midway through the first half and received baskets from 7 different players with Marques Frye (Mount Vernon) scoring 8 points and Justin Brown (Northview) putting up 7 points in the first half. The Allstars, however, remained in a slump and found themselves down 35-18 at the break.

The tables turned entirely as the second half started. The Allstars came out with incredible energy and erased the Game Elite lead very quickly. Alex Jones (Buford) took over the game in transition with his speed and was able to create his own offense while also distributing to others, most notably Adrian Cohen (Etowah). Adam Flagler (Duluth) also went into attack mode on the offensive end for the Allstars, while Game Elite started settling for contested outside shots and could not score at all. This complete 180 in the second half resulted in a 58-46 win for the Allstars.

The Atlanta Allstars received 16 points from Adrian Cohen, 15 points from Adam Flagler, and 14 points from Alex Jones. Justin Brown was the lone double-digit scorer for Game Elite, finishing with 12 points.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Tift County puts capper on unpredictable GHSA season, closing out Norcross for Class AAAAAAA state championship

No. 6 Tift County 55, No. 4 Norcross 52

In a year where “super teams” were en vogue, little old No. 6 Tift County (29-2) decided to spoil the party and not only shock the landscape of Georgia high school basketball, but the entire nation as the Blue Devils emerged out of the “Group of Death” to escape a frantic rally from No. 4 Norcross, 55-52.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Tift County was not supposed to be a factor in the state of Georgia this year. They were not supposed to defeat three nationally ranked teams and they were not supposed to beat No. 1 McEachern, No. 2 Newton, No. 4 Norcross (26-6) or No. 7 Berkmar on their quest to a third state title.

Tift County bucked the odds and quietly loomed in South Georgia as the 2014 state champions patiently waited for their shot at the big boys while smashing its way through Region 1. When they arrived at McCamish Pavilion, it was only fitting that the 3-hour trip would end in the Blue Devils completing the state’s greatest and most improbable state championship run in GHSA history.

Tift opened the game like they did against so many other victims, jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead but Norcross quickly eased ahead and gained a 13-9 lead after one. Norcross grabbed its largest lead of the game at the 7:21 mark up 18-9 after Dalvin White netted his second three of the game. The Blue Devils looked to be in control as Tift County’s 6-foot-6 Virginia Tech-signee PJ Horne found it difficult to bully his way around the basket like he did against Newton (25 points) and McEachern (17 points) in the Elite Eight and Final Four. After a first possession offensive rebound and putback, Horne saw his halftime line read: 1-7 FG, 0-3 3PT, 3 rebounds, 3 turnover and 2 points.

With Tift County’s workhorse neutralized by 6-foot-9 Louisville-signee Lance Thomas and 6-foot-8 Georgia-signee Rayshaun Hammonds, the Blue Devil guards lifted Coach Eric Holland’s team. Football standout junior Rashod Bateman scored 10 points in the first half, hitting two threes to bring Tift County to within 21-19 at the half, Tift mucking the game up exactly how they needed to to beat a high-octane team like Norcross. Tift wore their workman blue collar warm-ups and stripped them off to shirts with the phrase “no buckets” across their backs pregame, and were able to back up their tough-nosed defense once the ball tipped.

Both teams shot 33% at the half, not what the casual fan was expecting. But nobody expected Tift to be here in the first place. In the third quarter, Horne slammed home a dunk – the final points of his high school career as he finished 2-of-12 from the field with only 4 points and 5 rebounds. At the 1:37 mark Norcross’ Hammonds picked up his fourth foul on a charge and was sent to the bench. With Hammonds out, Bateman quickly drained another three, finishing with four on the night, taking a 32-24 lead in the process.  Norcross closed however and entered the fourth quarter trailing 32-29.

While Hammonds sat on the bench, Thomas started to come to life. He knocked down a turnaround jumper off a post catch and then added a baseline shot to give Norcross a short-lived 33-32 lead with 5:47 to play.  The Blue Devils quickly ran off eight straight points to go ahead 40-33 and then fouled Hammonds out of the game with the score the same with 3:22 remaining; Hammonds finishing his career with 8 points on 2-of-11 shooting and 8 rebounds.

Possessions got shorter and shorter as Tift continued to grind away at Norcross to go ahead 42-33 before Thomas hit a three. Micah Johnson, going to Alabama State, would not let his Tift County Blue Devils squander a lead, even though it got hectic.

Norcross slowly inched closer and closer as Tift tried to pile on the dirt on the Blue Devils’ grave, but White and Jordan Goldwire along with Thomas gave Norcross a pulse. From down 49-40 with 1:18 left to play, the Blue Devils trimmed the lead to 49-44 with 51.9 left, then to 51-47 with 42.7 remaining and down to 53-52 with just 10 seconds remaining as JoJo Toppin completed an And-1 dunk to send the crowd into a frenzy.

Just when it looked like Cinderella’s glass slipper cracked or the carriage was on the verge of turning into a pumpkin, Johnson continued to supply the dagger as Norcross would foul. Tift County shot 24-of-26 from the foul line – 21-of-22 in the fourth quarter – with Johnson scoring a game-high 24 points going 16-of-18 at the stripe and scoring 17 points in the frame. At just 6-foot, Johnson also collected 9 rebounds and 4 assists, with just one turnover. Bateman ended his night with 18 points as Tift’s guards got the better of Norcross’.

Dalvin White led Norcross with 15 points while Lance Thomas had 13 points but only 4 rebounds as the smaller Tift County Blue Devils outrebounded Norcross 31-28 and held the bigger Devils to 16 points in the paint.

 

PJ Horne spoke with me after the game:

 

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

State Championships Day 3 Recap

Class A-Private

 (G) Wesleyan 51, Holy Innocents’ 48

Trailing the entire game, No. 2 Wesleyan (28-4) found a way to stun No. 3 Holy Innocents’(29-3) after leading for only the final 1:56 of the game.  The Golden Bears led by 17 at one point in the first half but Wesleyan slowly chipped away at the lead before finally capturing their state-leading 12th title. McDonald’s All-American and UConn-signee Mikayla Coombs settled the Wolves in after their early hole, scoring 12 points in the first half and bringing the Wolves to within 34-27 at the half. Wesleyan drew even in the third quarter but could never take a lead, instead settling for a 41-41 tie entering the final period.  Natalie Armstrong scored four of her 11 points in the fourth quarter as Wesleyan outscored Holy Innocents’ 10-7. The Wolves took their first lead on a Sutton West layup at the 1:56 mark and never relinquished their lead. West finished with 8 points while Coombs finished her high school career with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Armstrong tacked on 13 rebounds and 2 blocks to her 11 points. Holy Innocents’ was led by Kennedy Suttle’s 16 points and 13 rebounds, 12 points coming in the first half. Kaila Hubbard had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while LSU-signee Khayla Pointer finished 3-of-13 for 10 points and 4 assists. The Golden Bears shot 32.7% compared to the Wolves’44.2%.

(B) Greenforest 81, Southwest Atlanta Christian 57

Sometimes you can’t see the Forrest from the trees.  That was an issue for No. 4 Southwest Atlanta Christian (26-6). Unsigned senior guard Justin Forrest poured in a game-high 36 points as the No. 1 Eagles (24-8) repeated as state champions, Head Coach Larry Thompson going 2-for-2 in his two years on the job. While the focus is often Greenforest’s massive front line of 7-foot Ikey Obiagu (Florida State), 6-foot-10 BeBe Iyiola, 6-foot-9 Mohammed Abdulsalem and 6-foot-8 Victor Enoh (Memphis), the engine and key to the Eagles’ success has always been 6-foot-2 guard Justin Forrest.  Forrest scored 19 points in the opening half as he continued to torment SACA’s guards as he’s done the previous two seasons. Fellow senior guard Jandan Duggan added 10 of his 14 points in the first half but the Warriors managed to hang around for most of the half. Unsigned 6-foot-3 senior combo guard Jonathan King threw down a one-handed And-1 slam over Abdulsalem and tallied five assists to pace the offense. Things started to get away from the Warriors late in the half as Florida-signee DeAundrae Ballard picked up his third foul at the 1:29 mark and headed to the bench with SACA down 34-28. The Eagles finished the half on an 11-1 run to take a 38-29 halftime lead and kept the pace in the third quarter pushing ahead 62-39 at the end of three as Ballard continued to struggle. The 6-foot-6 wing finished his high school career with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 turnovers while fouling out with 3:50 left to play and SACA down 23. Ballard couldn’t find any hoops in the paint as Obiagu and company protected the rim, the future Seminole totaling 10 rebounds and 4 blocks.  Isaiah Cotton led SACA with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists while King finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Greenforest outscored the Warriors 32-16 in the paint.

Class AAAA

(G) Columbus 69, Carver-Columbus 67

Don’t write game recaps until the game is over. No. 4 Carver-Columbus (26-5) outscored No. 5 Columbus 26-13 in the fourth quarter to force an improbable overtime but in the end, Kentucky-signee Tatyana Wyatt would not be denied, draining a three with 9 seconds left to survive their Region 1 rival, 69-67 in an instant classic, capturing their first title. Columbus (25-5) saw a 21-9 first quarter lead evaporate slowly. At the half they led 33-21 and after three, 43-30. Carver’s guards were kept in check but eventually exploded as sophomore J’Nya Love-Hill ignited the comeback, pouring in 25 points and 4 assists in support of star juniors Alycia Reese (13 points, 4 steals) and Mariah Igus (15 points). The Blue Devils led 52-42 with 2:46 left before the wheels fell off. The Tigers closed on a 14-4 run with Reese burying a three to cut the lead to two with 46.3 left. Carver took their first lead of the game in overtime as Love-Hill connected on an And-1 to make it 61-58 with 3:23 remaining. Igus nailed another timely three with 2:14 left to go up 64-62 but Wyatt took over, tying the game from the line and having an answer for every Carver bucket. Down 67-65, Wyatt sank a game-winner as the Blue Devils stormed the court. Wyatt finished with 27 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocks, picking up the slack after Ariyah Copeland (Alabama) was lost for the game with an ankle injury at the 2:46 mark when Carver made their run from down 10. Copeland finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Brittany Floyd had 11 points and 3 steals, battling a turnover issue with 8. Trinity Vasquez finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds including two huge free throws mid-way through overtime.

 

(B) Upson-Lee 53, St. Pius X 48

 

Nobody said it would be easy. No. 1 Upson-Lee survived a furious rally led by junior guard Everett Lane in the second half to cling onto a hard fought 53-48 victory to clinch the school’s first state title in front of a sold out McCamish Pavilion, polishing off the state’s lone undefeated season, a perfect 32-0. The Fire Marshal shut the doors on countless fans as a max capacity McCamish Pavilion saw a standing room only crowd for Upson-Lee’s quest for perfection and No. 6 St. Pius’ bid for a somewhat Cinderella ending just 13 minutes away from the Golden Lions’ campus after starting the year 6-5. The Knights led wire-to-wire, never trailing but receiving a scare in the second half. Both teams opened the game with big stage jitters as missed shots and turnovers were a prevalent theme. Upson-Lee turned to star junior Tye Fagan to ease them into the atmosphere as he sank an early three and glided to the basket for seven first quarter points as the Knights took a 12-7 lead into the second quarter.

Upson-Lee held its largest lead of the game late in the first half as 6-foot-6 sophomore post Travon Walker had his way with the Golden Lions’ smaller frontcourt. Walker’s presence was felt primarily on the defensive end, setting the tone with 10 rebounds and three blocks in the first half, helping limit St. Pius to 4-of-22 shooting.

Up 27-14 at the half, the Knights looked to be in control until Walker picked up his third foul at the 6:45 mark of the third quarter with Upson-Lee leading 29-14. From that point on, Lane went on a tear. The sharp shooter reeled off 13 points in the frame and ignited a 15-6 run with Walker on the bench. With the lead cut to 35-29 heading into the fourth quarter, Jacorey Smith blocked Lane’s layup attempt sparking an And-1 at the other end for senior Michael Smith to push the lead back to nine at 38-29. Lane, not deterred, continued to bomb away in the fourth quarter, dropping 10 points in the last eight minutes and finishing his night with a game-high 29 points and 5 rebounds, catching fire from deep going 7-of-15. As Lane poured it on, Fagan slowed down. St. Pius keyed in on the smooth lefty and forced him to score outside of the paint. Fagan scored just three points in the third quarter but sensing a dream season on the brink of destruction, the silky 6-foot-3 scorer went to work. Following another Lane triple that cut the lead to 38-34 with 6:30 left, Fagan got in the lane and dumped off an assist to Michael Smith.

Minutes later Fagan got to the line and sank two free throws then later tossed in two right-handed buckets in a 22 second span to grow the Knights’ lead to 46-38 with 1:56 remaining. Lane cashed in his seventh three-pointer of the night at the 1:10 mark to trim the deficit to 46-41 and then scored on a cut to make it 46-43 with 40.3 left in regulation. Fagan answered on the other end to cushion a 5-point lead. Matthew Gonzalo sliced the lead back to 48-45 with 23.4 left but Pius would never get closer as the Knights went 8-for-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter after missing 17 free throws in their Final Four victory over No. 2 Henry County.  Upson-Lee outrebounded St. Pius 37 to 29 and outscored them in the paint 32 to 14, Fagan and Walker playing key roles around the rim. Fagan finished with 20 points (8-18 FG), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks while turning the ball over 6 times along with point guard Zyrice Scott. Walker, a star defensive end with an offer to play at Alabama, posted 9 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 4 blocks. Scott added 8 points as did Michael Smith. St. Pius’ second leading scorer was senior Carson Seramur with 7 points. Both teams may become familiar foes as Upson-Lee graduates just one starter and St. Pius loses just three seniors off the entire roster, Seramur the only starter.